Lodmell Cellars 2008 Sublime

While I was walking around downtown Walla Walla in search of wine, I stopped in at the Marcus Whitman Hotel.  This is a very classy establishment that just happens to have a few tasting rooms in it, one of them being Lodmell Cellars.  This winery has been growing grapes since 1995, and owns vineyards overlooking the Snake River in Walla Walla County.  At the tasting room there was a nice lineup of wines, which included their 2007 Estate Merlot, a 2010 Sauvignon Blanc, a 2009 Rose´ known as Saignee, as well as their 2008 Sublime, a red blend.  The Merlot was a nice full bodied wine that was well balanced, and blended with 25% Cabernet Sauvignon which added a nice touch.  I found the Sauvignon Blanc to be a very refreshing wine; it was nice and crisp with aromas of fresh citrus.  Along with the Sauvignon Blanc, I thought that the Rose´ was also quite refreshing.  This wine was extracted a little more than a typical rose so it had bit of a darker color to it, and I sensed a nice pleasant aroma of strawberry.  The Sublime red blend is a combination of 50% Merlot, 30% Carmenere, and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the fruit is sourced from the Columbia Valley.  This wine spent 30 months in French oak barrels and has a nice structure to it, with dark fruit aromas and hints of vanilla.  It is a bit hot at 15.4% alcohol, but not enough to throw the wine out of balance.  Overall I found Lodmell Cellars to be a very pleasant way to start the day wine tasting.  So if you are in Walla Walla and happen to find yourself strolling about inside the Marcus Whitman Hotel, take the time to visit Lodmell and treat yourself to some great wines.

Cheers,

Seth